FIFA launches host bidding process for 2023 Beach World Cup
October 7 – FIFA has launched the bid process for hosting the 2023 Beach Soccer World Cup with a deadline for declarations of interest of 29 October 2021.
Author: Paul Nicholson
French skipper Lloris says World Cup should be protected as ‘something rare’
By Samindra Kunti in Turin
October 7 – France captain Hugo Lloris (pictured centre) has voiced his opposition to FIFA’s plans to stage the World Cup every two years, arguing that the global finals should be protected as “something rare”.
Edmonton to host Canada’s 2022 World Cup qualifiers as bid for 2026 host status intensifies
October 7 – The fast-improving Canadian men’s team will host two of their crucial Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying matches in Edmonton, Canada, one of the two Canadian cities bidding for a 2026 World Cup hosting.
Vietnam’s Hung Thinh Land follows the Qatar 2022 qualifier trail with AFC global deal
October 7 – Vietnamese real estate developer Hung Thinh Land has become an Official Global Supporter of the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar which enter their third match day in the final round today.
LaLiga and Microsoft launch Beyond Stands enhanced data portal for fans
October 7 – LaLiga and Microsoft have combined to launch a new football statistics portal, Beyond Stats, that they say will revolutionise the fan experience with deeper insights into game play.
Houston harnesses power of community to showcase 2026 World Cup hosting bid
October 7 – World Cup 2026 bid city Houston kept their focus on the hosting prize with the launch the ‘Spirit of Houston’ campaign yesterday marking the start of the campaign with a social ‘roadblock’ that saw organisations and indivduals share the campaign launch video.
Spain end Italy’s record unbeaten run with 2-1 Nations League semi-final win
By Samindra Kunti in Milan
October 6 – Spain and Ferran Torres overpowered Italy 2-1 in a fluent, attacking display to end the European champions’ world-record unbeaten run of 37 games and claim a spot in the Nations League final.
FIFA floundering with CWC 2021 hosting. UAE could be their last-minute face-saver
October 6 – FIFA is scrambling to find new organisers of this year’s Club World Cup after South Africa announced they have withdrawn their interest to host the tournament in December.
Glazers put 9.5m Man Utd shares on sale, valued at $186.6m
October 6 – The Glazer family, Manchester United’s owners, have put up another 9.5 million shares, with a value of $186.86 million for sale.
ELEVEN grabs AFC rights to drive Asian expansion
October 6 – Fast growing broadcast platform ELEVEN has secured a package of Asian football rights from the AFC to spearhead the launch of its channels into Hong Kong and five south-east Asian territories.
Bundesliga joins LaLiga on Sorare fantasy platform with player card NFTs
October 6 – Bundesliga International, the marketing arm Germany’s Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, has agreed a non-fungible tokens (NFTs) deal with fantasy football game Sorare.
Premier League clubs discuss a central loan fund to access cheaper interest rates
October 6 – Premier League clubs are reportedly calling on the league to establish a central loan fund of at least £1 billion to allow them to access cheaper loans than are currently being made available.
Euro 2024 branding launched in Berlin
October 6 – Berlin hosted the launch of the brand identity for EURO 2024 at the Olympiastadion along with the tournament tag line ‘United by Football. Vereint im Herzen Europas’.
ALK makes hybrid cash/credit offer for Burnley fan shares
October 6 – Burnley’s owner ALK Capital has offered to buy the remaining shares owned by the club’s supporters.
UEFA open racism probes into Union Berlin and Sparta Prague incidents
October 6 – European governing body UEFA has opened investigations into racist behaviour from both Union Berlin and Sparta Prague fans in recent European club competitions.